Basic Sourdough Bread

I've done lots of different sourdough variants, some of which are still waiting for a write-up, but I don't think I've ever written out the procedure for just your bog standard basic sourdough. Rather than giving specific measurements for this recipe, I've used baker's percentages. This means that you choose an amount of flour and scale everything based on that. Everything is done by mass. So if you're starting with 1kg (1000g) of flour, you take that as your "100%" value. This means you'd need 70-80% of that amount of water (ie. 700-800mL of water), 2% (20g) of salt, and 25% (250g) of starter. Starting with 1kg of flour makes two decent-sized hearth/free-form loaves (and makes for very easy math).

Sourdough Bread

Ingredients

• 100% hard (bread/strong/high grade) flour¹
• 70-80% water²
• 2% salt
• 25% fresh/active sourdough starter (100% hydration)

Directions

1. If your starter's been resting in the fridge, be sure to get it out and give it a good feeding or three 4-24 hours before you plan to use it. If it still seems sluggish after one feeding, give it one or two more until it seems suitably active and peppy.
2. About an hour before your starter has peaked (you'll get a feel for this as you use it more), mix the flour and the water, cover, and set aside to autolyse for 45-60 minutes.
3. Add salt to autolysed flour-water mixture and fold and knead gently to work it in.
4. Add starter and fold it in as well.
5. Once starter has been incorporated into the dough, cover and set aside for 30-60 minutes.
6. Once dough has rested for 30-90 minutes, wet your hands and carefully fold and turn four times: reach down one side of the bowl and pull the dough up and over itself into the centre of the bowl, rotate the bowl 90° and repeat on the next side, continue until four folds have been completed. Carefully turn the dough over (so that the bottom is now on top). Cover and set aside for another 30-90 minutes.
7. Repeat the fold and turn process every 30-90 minutes until dough seems light, airy, and active. This may take anywhere from 4 to 12 hours depending on the temperature of the room. If you need to leave it unattended for more than two hours, just stick it in the fridge to hold it 'til you're ready to deal with it.
8. If you're making more than one loaf, divide the dough as necessary and round each portion. Cover and let rest for 20-30 minutes.
9. Shape the loaves as desired. Try to build up the shape in a way that encourages good structure. Stretch and smooth the top to produce a single smooth sheet/film of gluten across the top.
10. If using banneton(s), flour them well and place the loaves top-side-down into the banneton(s). It is probably best to flour the sides and bottom (currently facing upward) of the loaves at this point as well. Cover and set aside to rise for 1-2 hours.
11. Place one oven rack as low as possible in the oven. Place another in the middle position. Be sure there is enough space to fit a pan/roaster on the bottom rack.
12. Preheat oven to 260°C (500°F) and set some water to boil.
13. When loaves are fully proofed and ready to bake, pour boiling water into an oven-safe pan/roaster to a depth of 1-2cm and place this on the bottom oven rack.
14. Invert the bannetons onto a greased baking tray dusted with cornmeal. Be careful not to damage the crust when you're turning out the loaves!
15. Slash the tops of the loaves.
16. Place the tray with loaves on the middle oven rack trying to avoid letting too much steam escape when you open the oven.
17. Bake at 260°C (500°F) for 15 minutes.
18. Remove steam pan from oven.
19. If bread requires more baking time (this will depend on the shape and size of your loaves), reduce oven temperature to 160°C (325°F) and continue baking until done. (Mine required ~30 more minutes at 325°F.)
20. Once loaves are baked through (tap the bottom and listen for a hollow sound), turn off the oven and allow them to sit in the oven for a further 10 minutes.
21. Remove from ove and set on a wire rack to cool.
22. Ideally loaves should cool completely before slicing.

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¹ Feel free to mix and match flours here. Try to make sure that at least 85% of your flour is a good high-gluten variety. ^Back
2 It's generally best if the dough is quite soft and loose, but this can make it difficult to handle. If you're still relatively new to sourdough, stick to a lower hydration level. As you get more experienced, you can bump up the amount of water you're using. Also, gauge the dough as you're mixing it and adjust accordingly. Sometimes the weather can affect how much water you'll need. I was planning on doing something in the 70-75% range for this bread, but once I mixed it that seemed way too dry. I ended up going with 78% for these loaves and I think I probably could've gotten away with adding even more! Pay attention to the dough and use your best judgement when mixing. ^Back